Common nicknames for hospital items.

[LifesAJourney]

Just wanted to see if the nicknames we call certain items are the same names you guys call them lol. I work in the midwestern region.

Examples include:

1.) "Bubblier" for humidifier

2.) "Ice pack" for the polar pack and the original ice pack

3.) "Patches" for tele electrodes

4.) "Stickers" for labels

5.) "Booties" for spenco boots

6.) "Christmas tree" for O2 connector

That is all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to add to the list. I am looking forward to seeing new nicknames I haven't heard before :)

[GirlOnPfizer, BSN, RN]

Medical students and interns are called "baby docs". As in "Ya man a whole herd of baby docs showed up to the code and stood next to the bed doing nothing but making it difficult for those of us on the code team to access the patient".

Watching the attending walk down the hall followed in single file by his senior resident, junior resident, intern, and 3 or 4 med students looks just like a mamma duck followed by her little baby ducks.

We also have "chicken feet" (in Wisconsin). The same thing is called a "turkey foot" in Minnesota. I don't even know the real name for them but you attach them to an IV line port, or to the end of a central line and it had 4 ports on it. Like if you have 4 different drips going into one.

We call that last one a manifold.

[GirlOnPfizer, BSN, RN]

I recently heard someone reply to the question "What's wrong with the patient?" With the answer... "TMB" = Too Many Birthdays

I've also heard a patient who isn't doing well/coding/circling the drain as "krumping".

[SamanthaGR]

"Bambulance" for ambulance.

"the big red taxi" for ambulance.

"free wax job" for surgical tape removal after an epidural.

Q: "why is your patient in triage for a labor check?" A: "she is a FWB." (Fight with boyfriend and demanded he take her to the hospital to make him feel guilty)

"salad tongs" for forceps.

"knitting needle" for tool to rupture membranes.

"that's an FLK." (Funny looking kid)

"I need a foley." (I'm so busy that I haven't peed for 8 hours!)

"let's rock and roll!" (Time for delivery)

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Guest house = morgue

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

B52= Haldol 10mg, Benadryl 50mg IM

For us a B52 is haldol 5mg/ativan 2mg IM.

Vitamin H = Haldol alone

Vitamin A = ativan alone

[RNIBCLC]

"Bambulance" for ambulance.

"the big red taxi" for ambulance.

"free wax job" for surgical tape removal after an epidural.

Q: "why is your patient in triage for a labor check?" A: "she is a FWB." (Fight with boyfriend and demanded he take her to the hospital to make him feel guilty)

"salad tongs" for forceps.

"knitting needle" for tool to rupture membranes.

"that's an FLK." (Funny looking kid)

"I need a foley." (I'm so busy that I haven't peed for 8 hours!)

"let's rock and roll!" (Time for delivery)

"TOBP" ( tired of being pregnant). Those poor women who keep coming in for false labor.

[RNIBCLC]

"OTD". ( out the door)

"Escape Hatch" ( c-section)

"PIS". (Pregnancy induced stupidity) I personally had this when I was pregnant

"Hoover" (Vacuum delivery)

"Going granola" (Natural childbirth)

"Getting his pencil sharpened" (Circumcision)

[megan_9043]

I like "terminal turner"!

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

Desitin mixed with Stomahesive powder for diaper rash = "Ass Spackle"

This one made me LOL, probably helped along by the fact that I used to work for a construction company! LOL

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

I had a GI doc once tell me that he had a patient call a colonoscopy the "pooper snooper" procedure. Almost died laughing!

TFTB - too fat to breathe

[ICUNurseG]

Charlie bell: call lights that require minimal touch to ring (usually used on quads/paraplegics)

Travel pack: trach and peg, now they're able to be transferred to an LTAC

Turn and burp: q2h turn, mouth care, etc.

Web MD Doc: pts family that has vast medical knowledge obtained via google

Transfer button: pt in ICU hitting their call light (if they can use it, they probably don't need to be there)

Drink: Bolus of propofol or other IV sedation. When the continuous rate isn't enough. "Give him a drink before you turn him"

[SamRN90]

I work in the Midwest as well, we also use bubbler and Christmas trees. When I first graduated a lot of older nurses on the floor would say "so and so has a hep-lock to this site" and so I thought it was flushed with heparin, nope just a regular ole saline lock.